A New Judge in Town

Big congratulations to Marc Brown who was named the acting Judge of the 180th District Court today, subject to confirmation.

Marc, um, I mean, soon-to-be-Judge Brown will be filling the unexpired term of Judge Debbie Stricklin who stepped down in July. The date he will actually assume the bench will be announced once he is able to wrap up his job with the District Attorney's Office.

I couldn't be more excited to see such a well-qualified Judge taking the Bench. He's got the brains, the work ethic, and the compassion to be a phenomenal judge.

Here's to hoping that the unexpired term is just a preview to many more terms on the Bench to come!

Congratulations, Marc!

Huge Congratulations to Marc Brown!!!!

This just in --

According to harrisvotes.com, Marc Brown has defeated Danny Dexter for the Republican Nomination for the 180th District Court.

After a 1600 vote deficit from early voting and absentee, Marc came from behind and won by about 900 votes.

Excellent job, Voters!

And it looks like Terry Lowery, Gary Polland, Steve Hotze, and whoever the schlub that runs P.O.L.I.C.E. Inc. just proved that competency and integrity shines through over paid political endorsements.

Marc, I couldn't be any happier for you.

Dude, Where's My Polling Location

One of the more bitter memories I have from the day in 2008 when we all learned that Pat Lykos had won the Republican Nomination in the runoff for the District Attorney's race came from working a polling location for Kelly Siegler on election day. The reason that the memory there is bitter was that shortly after 5 p.m., the location became flooded with people wanting to vote who were arriving only to be turned away.

The reason they were being turned away was that the general public had not been adequately informed that NOT ALL POLLING LOCATIONS THAT ARE OPEN DURING THE REGULAR PRIMARY ELECTION DAY ARE OPEN ON THE RUN-OFF ELECTION DAY.

I can still remember the look on some of the wannabe voters' faces as they shrugged their shoulders and told me that they wanted to vote, but they had just learned that their polling location was on the opposite side of their precinct and there was no way to get there in time. Some were very apologetic about it.

I'm taking this painful trip down Memory Lane to stress to those of you who want to (make sure that you follow the advice of Johnny Holmes, Dan Patrick, Paul Bettencourt, and pretty much anyone who has ever set foot in the CJC and) vote for Marc Brown, that you do so early. Unless you have studied and confirmed that your regular election-day polling location is open, you can't be certain.

Alleviate the risk of not getting to vote, and go do it today or tomorrow. For those of you in and around the Administration Building Downtown, go do it at lunch today or tomorrow. It will take all of about 3 minutes out of your schedule.

I got Danny Dexter's campaign mail out in the mail yesterday, and I couldn't help but notice that he had a long list of supporters who had NEVER SET FOOT IN THE CJC listed as his endorsers. The ONLY person I saw on the list that practiced criminal law was Gary Polland, who Danny paid $5000.00 to get his endorsement. Every major endorsement Danny got, he paid cash money for.

We need to get out there and do everything we can to make sure that we have a quality judge rather than just a good return on Danny Dexter's investment.

This election is completely up-for-grabs.

Go vote for Marc Brown. You've only got two days left to early vote.

Early Run-Off Voting

Early voting for the run-off election for the 180th District Court Republican candidate begins tomorrow (Monday, April 5th).

There is only one race on the ballot that affects the CJC, so look for voter turnout to be incredibly low. Sadly, that is usually a benefit to the woefully incompetent.

Ask Pat Lykos.

Marc Brown has been endorsed by Senator Dan Patrick, Paul Bettencourt, and former-District Attorney Johnny Holmes as the best candidate in this race.

And he is running against a completely unqualified candidate.

Please please please please please go vote.

A lot of the voting sites that you THINK are your voting locations will not be open on the actual voting day, so voting early is the smart thing to do. Don't get caught by surprise.

Go vote. Take a friend. Do the right thing and make a difference.

Marc Brown for the 180th

Out of all the criminal justice races that we had in the primaries, the only one going to the run off is for the Republican candidate for the 180th District Court featuring Felony Division Chief Marc Brown versus terminated-for-incompetence-many-years-ago Danny Dexter.

This is an important race because the winner will be facing off against the Democratic Candidate Darrell Jordan who has some severe issues of his own (not the least of which is inexperience).

Marc Brown has recently gotten the endorsement of legendary former District Attorney Johnny Holmes (who rarely comes out of retirement to endorse ANYONE), and I'm hoping that this will motivate you, and your Precinct Chairs to get the word out that Marc Brown is far and away the best candidate in the race.

Not to mention that his former opponent in the race, Emily Munoz, has also endorsed Marc for the job.

Marc has a fundraiser tonight at Diego's (formerly Picazo's) in Downtown from 5:30 - 7:30. I hope you can make it and lend your support for the unquestionably most qualified candidate in the race.

More importantly, don't forget to vote for Marc once the run-off early voting begins.

Tell your friends!

Mobilize for Marc Brown

If political history has taught us anything over the past two years it is this:

The run-off system is not always the best qualified candidate's friend.

Exhibit A, of course, is none other than Pat Lykos.

Out of the Criminal Judical Races, only one of them is headed for a run-off, and thank goodness it is.

Marc Brown and Danny Dexter will face off on April 13th (with early voting the week prior) for the Republican Nomination for the 180th District Court. In case you missed my original recap of the race, you can find it here.

Folks, Danny Dexter has got no business being in a position where he would literally preside over life and death situations in a Capital Murder trial. He is one of a very small amount of prosecutors that was ever fired for incompetency while I was at the Office.

Marc Brown, on the other hand, has the knowledge, skill, and temperment to be an excellent judge.

Sadly, Danny has had the support of some Republican bigwigs that know nothing of the Criminal Justice System, and it is that kind of support that thrives in the runoff system. It's that kind of support that got Pat Lykos elected.

And it's that kind of support that we've got to be fighting against now.

There aren't going to be that many races with runoffs, so mobilize now. Marc has a Facebook website up now. You can become a fan by going to it here.

Emily Munoz (who was previously in the race) has already given her support to Marc, and hopefully those who voted for her in the election will vote for him.

You just have to remember to vote during the Run Off. Join the Facebook website and mark your calendars to vote in April. Tell your friends and family.

Don't let another Lykos scenario happen, guys.

The Race for the 180th District Court (Republican)

The announcement of long-time 180th District Court Judge Debbie Stricklin that she would not be seeking re-election this year has brought out five candidates to replace her, with 3 on the Republican side and 2 on the Democratic side. On the Republican side, we have Harris County District Attorney's Office Division Chief Marc Brown, defense attorney Emily Munoz, and Danny Dexter vying for the spot.

In this race, I know all three candidates. Two of them are very good candidates. The other one absolutely flabbergasts the mind as to why anyone would consider voting for him.

Danny Dexter is a former Assistant District Attorney who was fired from the Office in 2004 because he was incompetent of doing the job. Since 2004, nobody has seen him around the CJC and he certainly hasn't been practicing as a defense attorney at the State level. For some reason, he has been able to garner the endorsements of some high level Republicans, which just absolutely astounds me, because Danny has absolutely no clue on earth as to what he is doing.

I don't mean to be cruel about Danny. I worked with him and he was a very nice person, but being a nice person doesn't mean that you are cut out for a job. I consider myself to be a swell guy, but that doesn't mean that I deserve to be the quarterback for the Texans, for example.

Danny was a terrible prosecutor and he didn't do his job.

At all.

When I started at the D.A.'s Office, he was a misdemeanor chief. He was still at the same level when I became a Felony Two three years later. The Office tried to take a gamble on him and promote him to the level of Felony Two, but he absolutely cratered within months and had to be fired.

Back then, the Office was extremely cautious in their firings and there was careful documentation before a person got terminated. And although Danny fought the release of the evaluations that ultimately led to his termination, they are now making the rounds of the political circles.

Some of the highlights from his evaluations include these criticisms from one Chief:

-"[his]preparation has become increasingly disappointing."
-"making offers on trial day that are well below what has previously been offered, including the reduction of cases for the simple purpose of pleading it."
-"Danny has been less than truthful with me on several of his cases"
-"Danny is too quick dismiss on some cases and too hard line on others."
-"it has not been unusual to have cases reset multiple times for Danny to complete one task"
-"Danny no longer appears to have enthusiasm for his job".
-"Danny is currently doing the bare minimum on his cases."
-"Danny's uninspired trial skills and lackadaisical attitude have made it clear to me that he is not ready to handle the more serious cases."
-"I have counseled with Danny on several occasions regarding this decrease and have seen no improvement."

Another Chief had this to say:

-"on occasion [he] misstates the law and confuses the jurors".
-"He sometimes pouts when the judge rules against him."
-"Danny's knowledge of some basic areas of the law is weak."
-"his [trial preparation] was woefully lacking."
-"Too often Danny does not exercise good judgment."
-"deficiencies in Danny's judgment, case evaluation, case preparation, and people skills suggest he would not make a good chief."
-"there have been instances where he has done exactly as he pleases despite being told otherwise."

This same chief also detailed at length about how Danny had been sent to Career Prosecutor School and left the vast majority of his extremely serious cases unprepared and uncovered for trial. He also took days off after being expressly told that he couldn't.

I'm sorry, Danny. You were a nice guy, but you were no prosecutor. You aren't a practicing attorney in the CJC now, and you've got absolutely no business sitting on the bench handling such incredibly important matters in the future.

In an election year where we've already identified several bad choices running for Office, Danny may just be the Crown Jewel of Bad Decisions.

My friend, Emily Munoz, on the other hand, is a former prosecutor and has now had a successful defense practice for about ten years. Prior to working at the District Attorney's Office, she worked as a Briefing Attorney for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. She is also Board Certified in Criminal Law.

Emily is a very vocal and active member of the defense bar who doesn't shy away from going to trial on even the toughest cases. She is an admirable advocate for her clients, combining her intelligence and trial presence to help them.

One of the things that impresses me the most about Emily is her desire to win the 180th bench is based on a duty to serve the public. She wants good candidates in good positions, and she has conducted her campaign accordingly.

But as much as I like Emily and think she would do a good job as judge, my support in this race goes to Marc Brown.

Marc is a 21 year veteran of the District Attorney's Office who has tried every type of case from DWI to a death penalty capital murder. During the time I was with the Office, he (along with Ted Wilson) were the foremost authorities on Search and Seizure law, and he was a walking law library on the latest case law. When Marc was promoted to Division Chief, he became the head of the Misdemeanor Division, where he found himself enjoying the opportunity to teach the Baby Prosecutor's on the basics of how to do their job.

Marc is a very laid back prosecutor who was never afraid to show compassion in his job when compassion was warranted. But on the other hand, Marc also never shied away from a jury trial and putting the hammer down on violent criminals. In 2004, Marc was trying an extremely violent defendant who had tried to rob an undercover police officer at gunpoint, when the Defendant attacked him in open court. Marc never let that scare him off of trying cases or helping make suggestions about courtroom security.

He's tried high profile cases, including the murder of an off duty police officer, and he is a nationally recognized authority on major narcotics trafficking cases.

He's also a guy I admire a lot and think would make a great judge.